Majestic Theatre

According to a history book about Perth Amboy (google book preview available here View link ), this theater was actually owned by Counihan and Shannon as a playhouse before it became Proctor’s and was turned into a vaudeville stage. I’m guessing that at some point in the late 1930s or early 1940s it was purchased by the Walter Reade Organization, renamed the Majestic, and started showing movies, since it was already quite popular by the mid 1940s. The link above also has two pretty good pictures, on page 63.

I remember my father who was a projectionist at the Royal Theatre around the corner telling me that this theatre started to show porno around 1971. His childhood buddy Nick was the projectionist at this place during that time, and they would carpool together to work, since they set their schedule to work the same days and hours. They bothb left the 2 theatres to open up the brand new Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema in Carteret N.J. in June 1972.

I haven’t been able to discover the original architect of the New Majestic, but Boxoffice of March 5, 1949, said that the architect for a recent $150,000 remodeling was William Hohauser. A major feature of the remodeling was the installation of a 200-seat television lounge on the mezzanine level of the theater. The New Majestic was then operated by Walter Reade Theatres.

The old Perth Amboy High School was located on State Street in the downtown area. I don’t know when the tradition began but the senior class graduation ceremony would always take place at the Majestic Theater. Much more seating room for friends and relatives than the school auditorium. I was a graduate of the Class of ‘71 and a member of the last group to have the festivities take place in that great old theater. The following school year would see the opening of the new high school several miles away in another part of town. As we all filed into the Majestic the X-rated advertising was still on display as that’s what the theater was showing at the time. From what I remember they would occasionally switch to mainstream movies but porn apparently proved more lucrative and that is what they stayed with until the the theater finally closed some years later.

markp, fascinating with your dad and uncle working at the Majestic and Royal. I have fond memories of going to both theaters countless times growing up in the 60s. The Majestic was the classier operation but the Royal had its own particular charm despite the musty smell, worn seats and frayed carpeting. There were one or two elderly gentlemen we’d always see I’m assuming owned or operated the Royal. Unlike the Majestic which had uniformed ushers these old codgers were right on top of any potential trouble in the auditorium and wouldn’t hesitate to eject any youthful offenders.